Apple has relaxed their restrictions on 3rd party developer tools, allowing devs to have more freedom when it comes to choosing which tools to create applications with. This means that Flash CS5 could be used to create iOS apps, so you may see a surge in tower defense games in the coming months. (Note, this does not mean that Flash, the browser plugin, will be allowed.)

In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.

Additionally, Apple has published firm, albeit blunt guidelines on what they don’t want in the App Store. Basically, they really don’t want anymore fart apps. They also want to reduce the number of pointless duplicate applications. (Oh! Nevermind about those tower defense games.)

Having a full set of guidelines will make it easier for developers to know what is acceptable from the beginning, so they don’t waste time creating an app that will never be released.

We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don’t need any more Fart apps. If your app doesn’t do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, it may not be accepted.

If your App looks like it was cobbled together in a few days, or you’re trying to get your first practice App into the store to impress your friends, please brace yourself for rejection. We have lots of serious developers who don’t want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour.